Emotions and Stress Flashcards
Emotions & Stress
this is the adaptive processes that maintain the body’s stability during times of stress & change
allostasis
Theories of Emotion
this theory attributes the experience of emotion to physiological arousal followed by assigning a cognitive label to that arousal
Schachter and Singer’s two-factor
A psychology undergraduate tells his roommate who’s depressed that, if he smiles more often, he’ll feel a lot better. The student’s suggestion is consistent with the predictions of which theory?
James-Lange
Emotions & Stress
damage to certain areas of the left (dominant) hemisphere are most likely to cause…
a catastrophic reaction
Areas in the left (dominant) hemisphere mediate happiness and other positive emotions, and damage to these areas produces a “catastrophic reaction” that involves depression, anxiety, fear, and paranoia.
Theories of Emotion
defensive behavioral reactions VS a conscious feeling of fear according to LeDoux’s Two-System Theory
defensive behavioral reactions: the actions someone takes to cope with a perceived threat
a conscious feeling of fear: the subjective emotional experience that arises from the cognitive appraisal of a situation as dangerous
both stem from the individual’s interpretation of a situation as threatening; the key difference is that one is an action-based behavioral response to cope and the other is a subjective emotional experience resulting from cognitive approaisal
Theories of Emotion
secondary appraisal associated with Lazarus’s (1991) Cognitive Appraisal Theory involves…
considering coping options available for dealing with a stressful event
What are the 5 theories of emotion?
1) James-Lange Theory
2) Cannon-Bard Theory
3) Schachter and Singer’s Two-Factor Theory
4) Lazarus’s Cognitive Appraisal Theory
5) LeDoux’s Two-System Theory
Theories of Emotion
James-Lange Theory proposes…
emotions (e.g., fear) are the result of (how our brain interprets) physiological response to external stimuli (e.g., threat);
Theories of Emotion
explain the facial feedback hypothesis
smiling when feeling depressed
- a facial expressions can activate & regulate emotions by causing physiological changes consistent with the emotion
the expression on your face can influence how you feel
Theories of Emotion
Cannon-Bard Theory
1. assumptions
2. brain areas involved
- when you encounter a scary situation, you feel the emotion (e.g., fear) and experience physical changes (e.g., racing heart) at the exact same time
-
brain areas:
thalamus sends simultaneous signals to
a) the cerebral cortex
b) the sympathetic nervous system
primary difference between James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories
Cannon-Bard views all emotions as involving similar physiological arousal = differences in emotional reactions CANNOT be attributed to differences in the nature of physiological arousal
James-Lange proposed that different emotional reactions result from how our brain interprets physiological arousal, which differs based on external stimuli
Schachter and Singer’s Two-Factor Theory (aka cognitive arousal theory) proposes…
emotions are the result of 2 factors: physiological arousal & cognitive processes (“cognitive labeling”)
Theories of Emotion
primary difference between Cannon-Bard Theory VS Schachter and Singer’s Two-Factor Theory
Cannon-Bard Theory: physiological arousal and emotional experience happen simultaneously
Schachter and Singer’s Two-Factor Theory: physiological arousal occurs first, then cognitive interpretation of the situation occurs & determines the specific emotion felt
**simultaneous experience of physical & emotional responses VS experiencing physical response before labeling the emotion **
Theories of Emotion
describe Schachter and Singer’s research, the “epinephrine studies” and define misattribution of arousal
study
* looked to the environment to determine what specific emotions subjects experiencing unexplained arousal were experiencing
findings
* misattribution of arousal: the tendency to mislabel arousal when its cause is unknown or ambiguous; the cognitive process of mistakenly attributing the source of arousal to something unrelated
studies on two-factor theory led to this theory developed by Zillman’s (1971), which is often erroneously described as being synonymous with misattribution of arousal
excitation transfer theory
